With water nearing the red alert level, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) completed all arrangements to open the Cheruthoni dam of the Idukki reservoir on Friday.
A dam safety official said the KSEB got permission from the State Disaster Management Authority to open the dam shutters at 3 p.m. on Friday. Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine said 100 cusecs of water would be released. The present water level in the Periyar is below two metres of the warning level, he said.
It was decided to open the Cheruthoni dam shutters considering the additional inflow in case of opening of the spillway shutters of the Mullaperiyar dam. The water level in the Idukki reservoir reached 2,398.30 ft by night. The red alert level is 2,398.31 ft. The dam safety wing will issue a red alert soon, said the official.
The final decision on opening the Cheruthoni dam will be taken based on the situation after opening the shutters of the Mullaperiyar dam. In the current situation, permission to open the shutters at 3 p.m. had been received, the official said.
